Valve is making a concerted effort to break into the mobile gaming market with the Steam Deck. The new compact gaming device looks like a third party Switch clone, but is actually a PC running a specially designed version of Steam. The reveal of the Steam Deck as a mobile gaming rig so closely integrated with such a large online marketplace has piqued the interest of many, and another enticing prospect is the possibility of using the Steam Deck to play games through Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft's popular subscription service.
All signs point to yes, it will be possible to play Game Pass games on Steam Deck, though Valve hasn't explicitly confirmed it. Valve has, however, made it abundantly clear that the Steam Deck is essentially just a PC. Though it comes with a special version of Steam pre-installed, it is possible to download third-party software or even other operating systems. For instance, the Xbox App, which allows easy access to Game Pass titles, will be installable on the Steam Deck.
According to the Steam Deck website, the device comes with a new version of SteamOS installed, and uses a compatibility software called Proton to ensure most games are able to be played. The website makes it sound like most Windows games - including those games on Xbox Game Pass for PC - will be compatible with the Steam Deck right out of the box. If that turns out to not be the case, then it may be a more involved process to get Game Pass working on the Steam Deck, by replacing SteamOS with Windows.
Steam Deck's Apparent Ease Of Use & Versatility Is Impressive
The Steam Deck looks to be a good compromise between PC and console gaming, with the added benefit of portability. PC has always been the superior platform performance-wise, but many enjoy the plug-and-play nature of consoles. The website says, "Once you've logged into Steam Deck, your entire Steam Library shows up, just like any other PC," which is reminiscent of consoles only requiring a profile to be created before being able to play. This built in, readily available access to Steam might give the Deck a leg up over other mobile gaming PCs like the AYA NEO, which runs Windows.
Especially for a small, portable device, some might not want the entire usability of a standard PC, but the Steam Deck offers it anyway. Valve could have easily made the Steam Deck inextricably tied to their storefront, just like the Switch only having the Nintendo eShop, but since the Deck is really just a PC with proprietary software, it's possible to get games from Xbox Game Pass, Epic Game Store, Origin, and more. The added benefit of being associated with Valve, a PC gaming giant, has the potential to see Steam Deck pre-orders go quickly. Early impressions are promising for the Steam Deck, since it will apparently offer a powerful and versatile machine with games playable almost instantly out of the box.